Mayor of London Boris Johnson compares the flotilla that will sail up the
Thames for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee to the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940
- although the event is expected to be somewhat more cheerful.

1:52PM BST 17 May 2012

The mayor said the Jubilee pageant would not only be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation but would also recognise the importance “of the river itself.

"The river that made this city, that gave England its amazing commercial success and that continues to ensure that London is the greatest city on Earth,” he told journalists as the Jubilee weekend schedule was announced.

The wide range of boats taking part in the seven-mile flotilla on Sunday, June 3 would be reminiscent of the famous evacuation attempt at Dunkirk when British fishing vessels crossed the channel to rescue soldiers from the beaches of Normandy, Mr Johnson said.

The difference being that this aquatic spectacle would be both “more successful and more cheerful” he said.